Gingerbread...finally!

For the past five years or so, I have wanted to make gingerbread; house, men, women, any kind! But December always comes and goes so quickly and I never have the time to bake it.  My mother-in-law even suggested baking it in the summer when I had time and then defrosting it before Christmas.  Awesome idea, yet I never manage to do it.  Since I have some extra helping hands this year, I made it a point to make some.  It took me over a week to completely finish the cookies but I did it and to my surprise, they actually turned out! I had the tiniest bit of tough left over, so I smashed it with a snowflake press and it turned out to be my favorite cookie. Icing on the other hand was impossible to make for some reason.  After three attempts of making icing with egg white and confectioners sugar, I finally just mixed confectioners sugar with a little bit of water to create a paste. The piping bags kept breaking but with a lot of patience all of my gingerbread were given eyes, a mouth, buttons and if they were lucky, clothes.

The dough must be chilled for at least three hours and up to two days.  When the dough is rolled thin, it will bake crisp and almost cracker-like. Yet, when rolled thick, the cookies turn out plump.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly milled black pepper

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening, at room temperature

• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

• 2/3 cup unsulfured molasses

• 1 large egg

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Directions

Preheat to 350 degrees F.

Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, salt and pepper into a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and vegetable shortening until well-combined. Add the brown sugar and beat until the mixture is light in texture and color, about 2 minutes. Beat in the molasses and egg. Using a wooden spoon, gradually mix in the flour mixture to make a stiff dough. Divide the dough into two thick disks and wrap each disk in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours. 

Bake, switching the positions of the cookies from top to bottom and back to front halfway through baking, until the edges of the cookies are set and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on the sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire cake racks to cool completely.